Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

December 2020 – The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has intensified its attack on Christianity. This persecution now includes distorting biblical narratives to more adequately fit the Communist agenda.

For example, a Chinese school textbook includes a false account of the story of the adulterous woman in John 8:3-11. The book conveys that “the crowd wanted to stone the woman to death as per their law. But Jesus said, ‘Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.’ Hearing this, they slipped away one by one. When the crowd disappeared, Jesus stoned the sinner to death, saying, ‘I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.’”

CCP officials have also specifically targeted crosses and images of Jesus. During the first half of 2020, over 900 crosses were forcibly removed from churches across China. Many churches were instructed to replace these crosses with five-pointed stars, the symbol of the CCP. Similarly, Christian villagers have been ordered to remove images of Jesus or the cross from their homes and replace them with pictures of Chinese Communist leaders. Those who refused to do so, even the elderly and sick, were denied government assistance and subsidies.

“The number of believers is growing,” confessed one Chinese government official, “which could turn into a serious force. That’s why authorities want to stifle the development of Christianity.”

christianpost.com, 9/27/20; 10/8/20